The Last Promise
by TheLittleLionMan
Summary: Arcturus swore to always protect his family, but the House of Black has more enemies than they can handle. Sirius remembers something about his life before Azkaban. Harry is prepared for a new task. Oaths are made and broken. Allies become enemies. Wizarding Britain is crumbling to the ground and it is up to one family to decide their world's fate. The end is coming.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Nor do I make any money off this story. Everything you recognise belongs to J. K. Rowling._

_**Chapter I**_

_**The First Mission**_

"_No Black will ever die on my watch again. I will fight for my family till the end. I will lead my house back to where it belongs." _

It was during moments like these when Lord Arcturus regretted the words he had spoken fifty-nine years ago upon becoming lord of the Noble and most Ancient House of Black. However, there was nothing he could do now. A promise was a promise and Blacks stayed true to their word. Sighing, the aged man rubbed his face with a calloused hand and turned back to his grandson.

"Sirius, do not be so rash. Think this through," he said pleadingly. It was no use. Sirius, at age thirty-three, was a man. Lord or not, Arcturus had no power over him.

"I did think it through, grandfather. It is not as dangerous as you make it out to be. When you were my age, you took the Lord's ring, led your family into battle and went on a killing spree to conquer the rest of the pure-blood houses. I'm fairly certain taking my godson from a suburban Muggle area is far from life-threatening."

"The sole difference being that I knew how to use my brain and you don't. You simply lack the craft and stealth it takes, Sirius. There is nothing more to the subject. Look at the facts – you've got noallies, no supporters, no one believes in your innocence and you're all over the news."

"I'm going," Sirius said, narrowing his eyes. "If you wish to join me, I most certainly will not object, and not just because you can take my fortune away with a flick of your wand." He added the last part jokingly, winking at his grandfather to lighten the tense atmosphere between them. Arcturus didn't smile. The jest was half-hearted and they both knew it.

"Take Pollux with you; he can help," Arcturus said with a defeated sigh. "And try not to maul the Muggles like wolves."

Sirius mockingly saluted the aged lord and called for a house elf. "Donny, go find Pollux. He's probably drinking himself to unconsciousness somewhere in the basement." Once the elf had left, Sirius turned back to Arcturus and smiled sadly. "I quite missed this lot," he admitted. "Not Irma... But it's nice to be with family without having to worry about Mother slicing me to bits in my sleep. And if the ministry really can't find me here until Callidora can find a way to clear my name..."

Arcturus smiled softly. "Indeed," he said. "Be good with Irma; she's had an arduous life."

Sirius sniggered. "Yeah, being married to Pollux is quite challenging, isn't it?"

"Do shut up," another voice sounded from the doorway.

Sirius turned around, a smile still plastered upon his handsome features, and looked at Pollux, who's silvery hair shone brightly in the firelight. Pollux had the angular face, the long, thin nose and the slate grey eyes all male Blacks were graced with at birth. "But unlike the rest of you," James Potter would use to joke, "he's quite the charming bloke."

Sirius smiled fondly and stood up. "Ready?" he asked.

Pollux nodded. "You know where Harry Potter lives, then? Good. Do you have a plan?"

"Typical Muggles, these people," Sirius said distastefully. He didn't particularly mind Muggles, but suburban families that thought themselves significant because of their fancy houses and advanced technological appliances irritated him. "We'll pretend we're the new neighbours and, knowing Petunia, she'll invite us for tea. We act all charming and polite and then let Harry in on the plan. At the end of the tea time, we run."

"Could be worse," Arcturus said, wincing slightly.

Sirius nodded sharply; this was the closest his grandfather would come to complimenting him. Glancing at Pollux, the two men Apparated to Privet Drive.

"Locate Petunia Evans," Sirius said immediately. His wand spun in his hand, pointing toward the supermarket. The young wizard offered his companion a wicked grin and they followed the wand's point.

"I'll casually look at the cabbages and bump into her. I don't think any of them recognise me as Sirius Black. I mean, I actually look human now. And we're talking about _Muggles_. In _Little Whinging_. You can't get any thicker than that."

Pollux grinned in appreciation. "You're learning, lad."

"I went out to a Muggle pub last night disguised as a Frenchman," Sirius replied bluntly. "I just don't like this particular place."

They headed toward the supermarket where Sirius carelessly picked a basket and busied himself with the vegetables on the shelves. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Petunia's glance at him with what she was hoping could be considered a fair amount of subtlety. But Sirius had grown up with Blacks; no Muggle or wizard would ever be as silent and elusive as Narcissa or as cunning as his father.

Sirius kept picking out carrots and lemons until he ran into the horse-faced woman. "Pardon," he said immediately, offering her a charming smile.

Petunia narrowed her eyes at him. "I haven't seen you around. Are you new here?" Her tone was supposedly friendly, but her posture showed only curiosity and hunger for information for her next gossip meeting.

"I am," Sirius said, fighting to keep the smile on his face. "Name's Henry. Henry Sage." He nearly winced at the name he chose for himself.

"Petunia Dursley," the woman said, smiling. "Would you like for us to meet each other properly over tea tomorrow?"

"It would be my pleasure," Sirius said. "Thank you for the offer."

"I live in 4 Privet Drive," Petunia informed him. "Is midday all right for you?"

"Perfect," Sirius said, smiling. "My friend –," He motioned toward Pollux, "and I will see you then."

Petunia bid him goodbye and they went their separate ways. Sirius waited anxiously for the next day when he would see the Muggle woman again. He had made up an entire back story for himself and Pollux, knowing the Dursleys would interrogate them. When midday finally came, he rushed Pollux to the Dursley residence.

The door was opened by Petunia. Sirius could see a large _glob _of fat sitting at the table across his equally large father. He nearly gagged in disgust. Outwardly, he only smiled. "Mrs Dursley," he greeted cheerily. "Thank you for welcoming us into your lovely home! It's been a rather big change from our last residence, of course. We didn't quite know how to work everything out until we came across you."

The young wizard could feel Pollux smothering a laugh. Petunia smiled broadly and beckoned them in, asking them to sit down. Pollux pointedly ignored the two large men near him. They disgusted him. _Muggles_, he thought. _I don't know what I expected_.

"I don't believe we've met," Mr Dursley said. "Vernon Dursley. Director of Grunnings Drills."

Sirius furrowed his brow. _What were drills_? Masking his confusion, he took Vernon's hand and introduced himself.

"And you, sir?" the enormous man asked, looking at Pollux.

"William Whittaker," Pollux said. "It's a pleasure, Mr Dursley. You manage Grunnings, then? Very intriguing."

Sirius was beginning to notice that everything was horribly off-plan. Harry wasn't present. That meant he had to manipulate Petunia into talking about him and suddenly steer the conversation to that.

As expected, Pollux charmed the Dursleys with fascinating tales of his youth as a captain and numerous laughs and jests. Sirius added to the atmosphere with vague stories about his son and nephew, the former of which was supposedly a soldier in the army, while the latter was a politician.

"I met with the lovely resident of Number Six," Sirius said finally. "He spoke kindly about you. I see what he meant when he said Dudley was the finest boy in the land. Charming young lad, that one is. I was also told you have a nephew who goes to a school for young... criminals."

Pollux sobered up and looked at Petunia with mock melancholy, ignoring Vernon's sneer. "Mrs Dursley, please. We did not wish to offend you. It's just – Ma'am, I've got a young grandson. His name is Geoffrey and I thought he was an incredible young gentleman until recently. He's changed, doing all sorts of wild things... I thought maybe..."

"You want to send him to St Brutus's?" Petunia asked lightly.

Pollux pretended to observe the inside of his water glass, turning it aimlessly in his hand. "Indeed. He's a nice lad, really, I just thought he needed some shaping up."

Vernon cleared his throat. "We do have a nephew there. Troublesome boy. We got landed with him when his parents died. We've taken good care of him, of course. Treated him like our own son, but bad blood is bad blood. You can't change that."

Sirius clenched the the chair's armrests furiously. "Does he live here with you?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"He isn't here," Vernon said quickly. "Out. With friends."

Sirius hummed. "Shame. I looked forward to speaking with him. Would you mind telling me where the privy is, Mr Dursley?"

"Upstairs, second door on the right."

Sirius nodded sharply, glanced at Pollux and headed upstairs. He scanned the doors, trying to guess which one belonged to his godson. Finally, his eye caught a padlocked one with a cat flap at the bottom. Jerking back violently, Sirius unsheathed his wand and barged in. Harry was lying on the bed, curled up in a fetal position with a ragged blanket thrown carelessly over him. He was shaking and occasionally letting out low moans of pain.

Sirius rushed to the young boy's side. "Harry," he whispered, shaking him gently.

The boy groaned and shrank back into himself. "Not now..." he muttered. "Hurts..."

"Harry," Sirius repeated gently. "Wake up, now. I'm taking you to safety."

The small boy opened his eyes and almost immediately jumped up. "W-Who are you?" he demanded.

"My name is Sirius. Calm down, now. Everything is all right. I'm your godfather, Harry. I'm here to take you from Privet Drive."

"You're lying!" Harry roared, now fully awake. He reached into his pillowcase, pulled out his wand and pointed it at Sirius with a trembling hand.

Sirius made no move to disarm him. "Listen to me," he said calmly. "I was a friend of James and Lily..."

"Why should I believe you?" Harry asked, swallowing audibly. The man was lying. He worked for Voldemort. _I have to escape_, Harry thought frantically. He had to warn someone; _anyone_.

"Harry," Sirius said again. "I'm trying to help you. I would have come sooner, but I was not granted custody." Taking a deep breath, he began explaining about Peter's betrayal and Azkaban. "I'll swear it on my magic. I'll make an Unbreakable Vow. Anything you want, Harry."

Harry looked confused. What was an Unbreakable Vow? He was certain the man – Sirius was mad. How had he even got to Privet Drive?

"I would never betray James and Lily like that," Sirius said hoarsely. "Here –," He unsheathed his wand and handed it to Harry. "You can hold on to this if you want. You have my wand and I'm unarmed."

"How did you get here?" Harry asked cautiously, grabbing the wand.

"I tricked your aunt thinking I'm the new neighbour. Needless to say, I was instantly invited to tea."

Harry remained silent. "Why would I go with you?" he asked finally.

Sirius sighed. He had been expecting that. Harry wouldn't want to leave his home for a man he had never met. A man who had been labelled a deranged mass murderer by the government.

"Because I can protect you better than your aunt and uncle can," he said bluntly. He wanted to get this over with. "Because it's what your parents wanted."

"Do you serve Voldemort?" Harry blurted out.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Were you even listening to me five minutes ago? I _fought _Voldemort. I caught his followers, protected his enemies..."

Harry nodded slowly. He considered the man for a moment. Sirius had been a friend of his parents and he was innocent of the crimes he had been accused of. He had risked his safety to get Harry. He was opposing Voldemort. Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. _Make up your mind_, he told himself sternly. "So... I can come with you?" This was it. There was no going back now.

Sirius smiled. "Until we get out of the house, you have to call me Henry. Just do it, no questions."

Harry frowned in confusion, but nodded nonetheless. The two wizards descended the stairs. In the living room, Pollux had petrified Vernon and Petunia.

"Ready, Sirius? Good. Let's go."

"Did you Obliviate them?" Sirius asked. At Pollux's nod, they exited the house and Apparated to Black Manor.

"There we are," Pollux said proudly. "Black Manor. In you go, then."


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: See Chapter One._

_**Chapter II**_

_**Child of Black**_

Arcturus sat in his armchair near the fireplace with a glass of whiskey in his hands and his eyes on the crackling fire. He felt rather than heard Pollux and Sirius enter the wards with a third presence in their midst – one Harry Potter. Arcturus grimaced. He would not have a Potter in his house. Sirius wanted to keep the boy, but the closest Black relation Potter had was Dorea Black. He kept the company of Weasleys and Muggleborns. He idolised Albus Dumbledore. How could the boy possibly get any worse?

"You got the boy, did you?" Arcturus asked the two men.

Harry tensed. How foolish had he been to go with Sirius? The older man sensed his fear and placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "Obviously," Sirius said.

"Petrified and Obliviated the Muggles," Pollux added.

Harry swayed dangerously as a sudden rush of dizziness hit him. He wasn't feeling well. He had even told Aunt Petunia, but she wouldn't listen. Pollux caught him by the forearms and steadied him.

"Careful there, lad. Are you well?"

Harry nodded slightly. "Fine," he muttered. "Just... got a bit dizzy."

The old wizard shook his head. "You'd best lie down somewhere. I'll get Cassiopeia to give you a check up.

Harry was led to a bedroom painted in dark greys and blues. He was placed on a bed reminiscent to the ones in Gryffindor Tower and before he knew it, darkness had taken over. He woke up again to the sight of a tall, intimidating woman with sleek black hair tied at the back of her neck, slate grey eyes and very pale skin. He shot up and his eyes darted around the room.

"Hold still," the woman snapped.

Harry weakly sat back down and allowed her to position him properly. "Sorry," he said, "but..."

"I'm Cassiopeia Black," she said knowingly. Sharp grey eyes looked down at him. "Quite the state you were given to me in... What happened?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know," he said honestly.

The woman sighed. "Very well. Are you hungry? Thirsty? Do you need anything at all?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm all right," he said quietly.

Cassiopeia nodded sharply. "If you need anything, you may ask a house elf. Call for Donny." She exited the room, leaving Harry alone.

The young boy sat up and tried to sort everything out. What did he know about the Black family? Nothing. Sirius opposed Voldemort, but what about the rest of them? Harry crept to the door and glanced through the staircase's bars. Cassiopeia was talking to Pollux and the old man in the armchair.

"I will not have a Potter in the house unless his Black blood dominates," the old man said.

"Sirius has made him his heir already," Cassiopeia countered. "He is a Black by name."

"But not by blood," the man growled.

"Shut up, Arcturus," Pollux said tiredly. "Cassiopeia – what did you find?"

The severe-looking woman regarded him with patronisation. "A rather... _grand _history of injuries," she said drily. "But this is not concerning; I had him healed in less than an hour. What I'm worried about is this."

She handed Pollux a scroll of parchment. Harry struggled to read the man's expression, but his face was blank. After a couple of seconds, he began chuckling. "Oh, well done, Sirius!" he laughed sarcastically. "Oh, this is _priceless_."

Harry nearly groaned in frustration. What had Sirius done? Cassiopeia pursed her lips. "What about the rest, brother?"

"Aries Arcturus," Pollux read, chuckling. "Why do I not see you smiling, Arcturus? This is very honouring, do you not agree?"

Arcturus grunted. "It would be, had Sirius not messed up so badly."

Harry furrowed his brow. Who was Aries? How did Sirius mess up? What was so honouring? He had to know!

"Wait till you hear this," Pollux said mirthfully. But he couldn't get the words out; he only threw his head back and laughed. "M-Merlin and Mordred!" he choked out.

Cassiopeia looked murderous. She grabbed the scroll from her brother and read aloud: "Leo Regulus – paternal half-brother. Elladora Bellatrix – paternal half-sister."

Harry raised an eyebrow. Who's siblings were they and why did it amuse Pollux so much? He wanted to go down to the drawing room and read everything on that scroll. He wanted to _know_. The young boy watched as Arcturus abruptly rose from his chair and glared murderously at his cousins.

"I _beg _your pardon?" he said icily.

"Ivy!" Cassiopeia barked. An elf immediately appeared before her and bowed lowly. "Get Sirius here. _Now_."

The elf shuddered and disappeared with an obedient "Yes, mistress".

Harry shifted in his place on the stairs. They creaked horribly, alerting the three Blacks of his presence. Harry winced and cursed his luck. Pollux looked gleeful – whether at the prospect of Harry eavesdropping or at being caught was unclear –, while his sister looked ready to kill and Arcturus looked utterly apathetic.

The Black woman was on the stairs in a flash. "You're lucky there are oaths preventing me from killing you," she hissed, grabbing him by the forearm.

Harry's breath hitched in his throat. "Look – I-I'm really sorry... I just... I didn't..."

Cassiopeia tightened her grip on his forearms and half-dragged him down the stairs. Pollux stared disapprovingly at her. "Now, love, let's not let our temper get the best of us. Leave the poor boy be."

His sister snarled at him and pushed Harry into an armchair. He didn't look at any of them, deciding instead to subtly check for escape routes. With a pang, he realised he had been foolish enough to leave his wand upstairs. Pollux patted his shoulder comfortingly.

"How much did you hear?" he asked calmly, kneeling in front of Harry.

"I – uh, I was – I heard you talking about Black and Potter blood and half-siblings and..." His voice failed him and he averted his gaze. The anger on Cassiopeia's face terrified him. It made him feel helpless. When Uncle Vernon got mad, Harry knew he wouldn't be able to hurt him too much in fear of 'freaks' breaking into his house and threatening him. When Snape got mad, Harry only thought that he was a professor and was forbidden to harm students. Now, he was helpless and vulnerable.

"All right," Pollux said soothingly. "That's fine, lad." He turned to his two companions. "Shall we tell him?"

Cassiopeia scowled. Arcturus sighed heavily and ran a calloused hand over his balding scalp. "We have to. He's got every right to now."

A different voice sounded from the doorway. "Can you tell me too? I'm afraid I'm a bit at loss as to what's going on."

Harry turned around to see Sirius leaning on the door frame. He sighed in relief.

"Sirius, my dear boy," Pollux began cheerfully, "care to explain why you've been sleeping around with your best mate's wife and your cousin?"

Sirius blinked. "Sorry?"

Cassiopeia passed him the scroll and Harry saw what it meant.

**Aries Arcturus Black (alias: Harry Potter)**

**Mother: Lily Rose Evans**

**Father: Sirius Orion Black**

**Siblings: Leo Regulus Black (paternal half-brother; parents – Sirius Orion Black and Marlene Olivia McKinnon), Elladora Bellatrix Black (paternal half-sister; parents – Sirius Orion Black and Bellatrix Druella Black)**

Sirius blushed. "I... I can explain."

"Please do," Arcturus said icily.

"Marlene was... my wife," Sirius began reluctantly, taking a seat. He sighed and fiddled with his wand, avoiding everyone's gazes. "This was my first little boy. My little lion... I left him with Marlene at home during the war to fight. I was on a mission with James, Fabian and Gideon Prewett and Charles McKinnon, her brother. When I came back –," He sighed heavily. "Lily told me... Marlene had been killed. Along with our little boy."

He took a deep breath and continued. "I was alone. James kept going on more and more missions alone, but Lily and Andromeda forbid me from leaving the house. They were afraid I'd do something rash. They knew I wanted to do _something_. Anything at all... Lily and I talked a lot. She wanted a son, but James had been turned sterile by a curse – Avery's curse, to be precise. They went to the wizarding orphanage to adopt a child, but they were refused; only pure-bloods were allowed to adopt. Dolohov's idea..."

Cassiopeia looked approving. _One good thing that imbecile did_, she thought.

"Then I don't remember much after that... James was away more time than ever and Lily and I spent more and more time together... I gave her the son she wanted. I wanted to take the boy and run; I was ashamed of what I had done to Lily. Of how I betrayed her and James. But I couldn't take him; he was Lily's. We constructed a complex glamour charm for him and Obliviated James of the sterility issue... We gave the boy the name he always wanted for a son – Harry."

Harry grimaced. He was a product of lust. This man had endangered his parents' love for his own satisfaction. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had been right – not even his parents had loved him. His own father had been ashamed of what he had done. The man he thought his father hadn't even known he was another man's son.

Harry felt disgust, shame, anger and guilt all at once. He wanted to run and hide, but Sirius kept talking.

"James and I... We both loved the boy more than life itself. I played the role of Harry's godfather. I wanted to come clean to James, but Lily begged me not to. He was so happy to have a child... She wanted to Obliviate me too; the guilt had been crushing me. But it was too late... The next day, Peter Pettigrew had given Voldemort access to Godric's Hollow."

Even Cassiopeia's expression softened. She placed a hand on Sirius's hair and stroked it gently.

"It was an ugly thing to do, Sirius. You took your best friend's wife for your own pleasure." Arcturus's voice was cold and angry.

The younger man didn't reply. He was lost in his own thoughts. His hands had tightened around the armrests and his eyes displayed guilt, horror, regret... Harry thought he even saw hatred.

"Sirius!" Pollux called sharply.

Sirius looked up at him with a miserable expression. "Yeah?"

"Continue. That explained the two sons, but what about your daughter? You know, the inbred one."

Sirius flinched violently. "Not here," he said. "Not in front of the child."

Pollux placed a hand on the back of Harry's neck. "Can you go upstairs for a couple of minutes? We'll call you when we're done."

Harry nodded obediently and left. Once he was gone, Cassiopeia wisely placed a silencing charm around the room.

"Well?" Arcturus said. "Go on."

"Remember in her third year, when Bellatrix went sort of... well, mad?"

At their nods, Sirius continued. "It got worse every year. By the time I was in sixth year, she was completely deranged. She'd scream at nothing in the middle of the night, she'd hallucinate, she had unexplainable and uncontrollable urges and she'd completely destroy anyone that got in her way."

He smiled bitterly and glanced at Arcturus's glass of whiskey. "Well, in the January of my seventh year, she got one of those urges. She was lustful. She wanted someone. Rodolphus tried to please her, he tried to calm her, he tried everything... Bellatrix was not impressed. During the Christmas holidays, she found me in an alley near Potter Manor."

Sirius ran a hand through his hair. This story was going to get very ugly. "She cornered me and held me at knifepoint. I think..." he swallowed audibly. "I think you know what happened. Nine months later, she contacted me again. I had my own home now. In Muggle London. She told me we had a daughter – Elladora Black."

Cassiopeia winced. "So your daughter is a product of incestuous molestation?"

"Pretty much," Sirius said. "Voldemort killed her himself. Bellatrix was his trusted lieutenant; he couldn't have her busying herself with a baby."

Arcturus rubbed his scalp. "I'm far too old for this," he muttered. "Whiskey, anyone?"

"I'll take the bottle," Sirius said drily.

"You drink yourselves to death," Cassiopeia said patronisingly. "I will go check up on Harry – I mean, Aries..."

"Harry," Sirius corrected. "You will call him that unless he corrects you."

Cassiopeia nodded and swiftly left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: See Chapter I. _

_**Chapter III**_

_**The New Ally**_

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, Cassiopeia and Pollux would distract Harry with lessons and classes in the standard Hogwarts subjects, politics, dancing, etiquette, Latin and a language of his choice – Gaelic dialects. Cassiopeia had scoffed at his choice and urged him to take up French instead, but she hadn't been able to change his mind.

Harry, in turn, would tell them about the Philosopher's Stone and the Basilisk and Tom Riddle's diary. Sirius's emotions had ranged from surprise to shock to horror. Arcturus, however, had only pressured Harry to talk about the diary.

"You destroyed it with a Basilisk fang?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

"Yes, Lord Black," Harry said respectfully, remembering Cassiopeia's teachings. "It was as if he and the diary were connected. He felt pain when I stabbed it."

"Curious," Pollux remarked with a wicked smile. "It's almost as if the diary held a part of Mr Riddle, no?"

"Be silent, Pollux," Arcturus said with narrowed eyes.

Harry glanced from one man to another, trying to figure out what was going on.

"I advise you to put the thought out of your mind until we have found a solution," Arcturus said. "Now I do believe it's well past midnight."

Harry took that as an order to go upstairs. He bid the two men goodnight and entered his bedroom. He _did _feel exhausted, but his sleep was restless. Mostly because of the odd dream he had.

_A cloaked figure was running with a large basket in its hand. It ran across beautiful valleys and alongside clear rivers, but didn't stop to admire any of the wonders the land had to offer. Small stone cottages littered the planes. Men and women were setting up barrows of vegetables and hanging pieces of raw meat from their wooden stands. A general buzz sounded from the place; the combined noises of the sellers and buyers at the market, the street musicians playing the flute, the children playing by the river and the men at the port commanding ships and unloading boxes and crates. _

_The figure ran past every obstacle and came to a tall stone tower complete with flags and banners. It knocked on the arched door, which was opened by an elderly man, and rushed inside. "Alther," it greeted breathlessly. It had a woman's voice. _

"_Alther," the woman said again. "Take them. Keep them safe. Keep them as far away as you possibly can." _

_Alther glanced at the basket in the woman's hand and frowned uneasily. "You ask me to steal a child and keep it from its rightful home." _

"_I ask you to protect my family," the woman said in a trembling voice. "This is all I have asked from you."_

_The aged man took the basket from the woman and set it on the table. Reaching into it, he picked up two small bundles of blankets. "Are they siblings?" _

"_That's up to you to decide," the cloaked woman said. "Give them any identity you see fit, but keep them near you." _

_The man nodded solemnly. "Very well, child. Go now, before they notice your absence." _

That was when Harry woke up. Glancing outside his window, he noticed it was already sunny outside. He quickly dressed himself and descended the stairs. Once he was in the kitchen, he was promptly scolded by Cassiopeia.

"Look at the state of your hair," she said disapprovingly. She conjured a comb and tried to flatten the mop of black on Harry's head to no avail. She was considerably softer than she had been in the beginning of Harry's stay at Black Manor, but she was far from gentle. Her severity and ill temper were still very prominent traits of her personality.

"Do you know anyone named Alther?" Harry asked, paying little mind to her rough combing. Five weeks had been enough time for him to get used to her and feel safe around her.

Cassiopeia frowned in confusion. "No. Why do you ask?"

Harry shrugged. "I had this dream... There was a cloaked woman and an old man named Alther."

Cassiopeia hummed. "Do not dwell on it," she said. "It means nothing."

Harry nodded, sat down and picked up the toast Donny had left him. He was, however, soon distracted by an owl soaring toward the house. Cassiopeia spelled the window open and untied the letters from the owl once it had landed. Harry gave it a bit of his toast, but stopped at the woman's disapproving look.

"This is for you to eat," she said sternly, giving it a small treat.

Harry grinned and tried to peek at the letters. "They're both from Hogwarts," he said, surprised.

"Indeed," Cassiopeia agreed. "Here – this one's for you."

Harry opened it to see not only the standard letter and book list, but also a permission slip. Reading over it quickly, he announced, "It's for Hogsmeade!"

Cassiopeia raised an eyebrow. "Harry, I'm not certain you can go."

"Why not?" Harry asked, furrowing his brow. He _really _wanted to go. Had he done anything wrong?

"It is still believed that your legal guardian is Vernon Dursley," she said, stroking his hair. "If Pollux or I signed the form, it would raise suspicion at Hogwarts."

"Oh," Harry said, blinking. "All right..." He tried to hide his disappointment, but it wasn't easy. "What does the other letter say?"

"It's from Professor McGonagall," Cassiopeia said. "Read it for yourself." She handed him the letter.

_To the Noble and most Ancient House of Black,_

_I address this letter to you in high hopes of protecting Hogwarts School from harm. The current Headmaster, as we all know, is a powerful man, but he is rapidly ageing and, I fear, he is no longer capable of running the school. With all the respect and admiration Headmaster Albus Dumbledore deserves, I firmly state that we must start anew, dismissing the current dangers from the castle. _

_I have not informed him that you are currently the guardians of one Mr Harry Potter. As you already know, Mr Potter is a student in Gryffindor House and it is my duty to protect him. Our families have been allies for decades and I hope we can restore the alliance that brought peace to our homes. _

_In return for a strong alliance, I, Minerva McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House, Lady McGonagall and Transfiguration Mistress, will hereby protect every member of the House of Black until they have come of age. I also swear to try to prove Sirius Black's innocence to the best of my abilities. _

_For further discussion on the future of our houses, please set a date, time and location for us to meet. I will allow, as the old laws state, up to five representatives of the house._

_Yours respectfully,_

_Prof. Minerva McGonagall_

_Lady of the Noble House of McGonagall_

_Head of Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Transfiguration Mistress_

Harry looked up, shocked. "How does she know?" he asked quietly.

Cassiopeia looked grim. "She has sources, Harry. Allies. Minerva McGonagall is a powerful woman, more cunning and resourceful than Albus Dumbledore could hope to be. I studied under her; I know it's better to take up her offer for an alliance than face her as an enemy."

Harry frowned and leaned back in his chair. "What do I do once I get to Hogwarts?"

"You stay on her good side," Cassiopeia said solemnly. "Show her you are a true member of our noble house. "Choose your allies carefully, Harry."

Harry was stunned. Was she telling him to abandon his friends? He was never going to do that. He couldn't; Ron and Hermione had been his first and only friends. They had risked their lives with him, _for _him. They were his family. He couldn't just _leave_.

"No self-respecting pure-blood would normally accept a Gryffindor as an ally, but seeing as you're the Chosen One..."

"I don't want to be the Chosen One!" Harry protested.

"I do not recall asking for your opinion," Cassiopeia snapped. "You will do what's best for yourself and your house."

"I didn't even ask to be taken here," Harry said. "I'm not leaving Ron and Hermione for some stuck-up pure-blood twat!"

"I will send alliance requests to the families I see fit," the formidable woman said icily. "And you will not disobey me. I have not yet asked you to leave the Weasley boy, but you _will _make more useful allies. Longbottom, for one. Nott, Malfoy, Bones, Macmillan."

Harry made a face. "Not Malfoy," he pleaded.

Cassiopeia sighed. "We will not discuss now. It is neither the time, nor the place. Sirius will take you to Diagon Alley for your things."

Harry nodded wordlessly. He kept staring at the letter until Pollux came into the kitchen. "Lovely," he said once he had read it. "I've always wanted an overprotective, foolishly brave professor as my ally."

"Do shut up, brother," Cassiopeia said.

Harry exited the room, unable to stand their bickering. He roamed aimlessly throughout the manor. He had seen most of it, anyway; he had explored nearly every part of it in his second week. But it was still entertaining to stumble across old portraits and hidden traps in the house. Harry walked to the basement and through the duelling arena when he noticed a large metal door. He frowned. He could have sworn in hadn't been there last time.

Curious, Harry approached the door and pushed and pulled the handle. It wouldn't move. He was about to walk away when he remembered Sirius's words.

"_Inside the old manors, the ministry's laws are null and void. Underage magic is for those in the Muggle world... and pure-bloods that don't have ancient manors. Here, you can cast any spell without any consequences. The wards will keep the magic away from the ministry." _

The young boy unsheathed his wand and pointed it at the door. "_Recludo_!" he said, practising for the first time the spell Pollux had taught him. The door swung open, revealing a seemingly endless black tunnel. "Lumos," Harry whispered. It somehow felt wrong to speak too loudly in that room.

The walls were lined with bookcases and littered with pictures and portraits. Harry gazed open-mouthed at the portraits. They didn't have name plaques and he didn't recognise any of them, but the oldest ones probably lived during the Tudor era, while the newest portraits belonged to the Victorian era.

Harry walked silently through the tunnel-like room, awed by the magical aura it emitted. Where the bookcases ended, there was a very detailed family tree. Harry stared at the countless names and the pictures above them. His eyes fell upon Sirius, who was connected not only to his parents and brother, but also three other lines – Lily Evans, Marlene McKinnon and Bellatrix Black, the last of which he was also connected to through his parents.

What really sparked Harry's interest were the details of the people's lives beneath the names. Below the little golden square bearing information about his mother was a line leading to him.

_**Aries Arcturus Black**_

_**Mother: Lily Potter née Evans**_

_**Father: Sirius Black III**_

_**Blood status: Half-blood**_

_**Status: Alive**_

_**Titles: Lord Potter; Lord Peverell; Heir Black**_

Harry blinked. He hadn't known he was a lord. And of two houses, no less. Who was Peverell? Cassiopeia hadn't told him of the. He glanced at the two lines next to his name.

_**Leo Regulus Black**_

_**Mother: Marlene Black née McKinnon**_

_**Father: Sirius Black III**_

_**Blood status: Pure-blood**_

_**Status: Alive**_

_**Titles: Lord McKinnon, **_

Harry gasped. _Alive_... How could he be alive? It was impossible. Sirius – Father – had said so himself – they were dead. Killed by Voldemort. His eyes scanned the next name on the tree.

_**Elladora Bellatrix Black**_

_**Mother: Bellatrix Lestrange née Black**_

_**Father: Sirius Black III**_

_**Blood status: Pure-blood**_

_**Status: Alive**_

_**Titles: Heiress Lestrange**_

Alive. Again. Harry didn't know what to make of this. Could the tree possibly be outdated? But no, the information on every other name had been correct. Harry looked at the pictures of his two half-siblings. They reminded him of something he had seen. Of a dream he had had.

"_Take them. Keep them safe. Keep them as far away as you possibly can." _

The babies in the basket he had seen in his dream were Elladora and Leo. Harry's eyes widened comically at the realisation. He stood up and ran toward the exit, ignoring the protesting portraits. He had to tell someone.


End file.
